And Life Goes On
by Touch of Grey
Summary: Seasons come, battles go, friends are injured, friends are healed, and life goes on. Longerbee.


And Life Goes On

"Hey! HEY, Longshot!"

My quiet friend looks up from the arrows he's sharpening and smiles.

I will not blush. I will not blush. I WILL NOT-

His smile grows wider. Darn it.

"Knock it off!" I cry, punching him lightly. "Jet says that there's gonna be a raid today!" Without even realizing it, my voice has become happier, more excited upon mentioning our fearless, super-cool leader. Longshot's face falls, and he quickly shoves the newly sharpened arrows into their quiver. Its then that I realize my folly.

Hurrying to catch up with his long strides, I trip and end up sprawled all over the ground. "Ack!"

He's at my side in an instant, deep eyes gazing at me worriedly.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm just a klutz"

He smiles, helping me up, my faux pas already forgotten.

"Alright, Freedom Fighters, move out! Those Fire Nation scum won't know what hit 'em!"

We pump our fists in the air and cheer. Jet takes Longshot and me aside.

"You two gonna be okay, Smellerbee? How's his shoulder?"

I can tell that Longshot is trying not to look angry, so I'm not surprised when he quickly shoots off a half-dozen arrows as proof of his healed injury.

"Yeah, what he said. Longshot's fine, and if he's not, I'll protect him!"

Jet grinned, thumping us on our backs. "Then lets get 'em, troops!"

For some reason, this fight is taking a bit longer than the others. I'm down to my last three knives, Longshot's only got about a dozen arrows left, Pipsqueak's log just got burnt to a cinder, and even Jet is losing hope.

Doesn't mean he's gonna let us stop fighting, though.

This particular camp of soldiers had Yu Yan archers in their regiment, which was proving itself both a blessing and a curse. I mean, sure, _I _can dodge them, and _Fei 'n Jet_ can dodge 'em, but what about Longshot? He's stuck up in a tree, shooting his arrows to pick off the guys we can't get. Who protects _him_ while _he_ protects _us_?

The answer?

Nobody.

When I hear the yell, I almost immediately write it off as an enemy's cry. Then I realize it was less of a scream, and more of a name…

"Lao Mei!"

_My _name.

I run to the place my friend has fallen and drag him away. Forget Jet.

Forget the Freedom Fighters.

I'm _not_ losing the person who means the most to me. Not again.

"C'mon, buddy." I hiss, slapping his face a bit. "Stay awake. Keep moving. Keep _breathing_."

The arrow had hit almost exactly the same spot it had before, tearing through his shoulder. I stick the handle of my knife into his mouth, telling him to bite down. Then I snap the arrow in half, pulling it out quickly. There's a muffled yelp of pain, and I work faster, ripping my own tunic to create a makeshift bandage. I remove the handle, and Longshot grins weakly.

"I thought I told you to be careful!" I scold, careful that the tears I wanted to shed stayed back. I then turn away, gathering up his remaining arrows, that I'd spilled while dragging him away.

"Jet's gonna be mad at us."

That simple statement makes me want to cry in happiness, but I push the feeling away. "For surviving? I don't think so. Besides, Fei'll just work some of her pacifist magic on him and he'll be begging_ us_ to forgive _him_!"

Longshot chuckles, a blessed sound, and I just can't help it.

"You _idiot_!"

I throw myself into the embrace that had been waiting for me. "I can't believe you made me lie to Jet about your shoulder! You could have been killed, just like my family, then I'd be down _more_ loved ones! Is that what you wanted?"

I looked up, tears still streaming down my face, and Longshot kissed me lightly on the forehead.

"No." he told me sternly. "I would not dare to die before you. I still need to protect you." I must be blushing again, because his serious look melts into a tender smile. "Lets go back home. Fei will be done with her brother by now, so it will probably be safe."

His legs are still weak from the blood loss, so I let him lean on me as we walk, twining our fingers together when he grasps my hand.

As I'd predicted, Fei had used a mixture of tea and bribery to keep Jet from getting angry about our 'desertion' of our posts. But overall, he was glad that we were still_ alive_. In the battle, many newer recruits had been killed or simply ran away. Pipsqueak and Sneers were both badly hurt, and The Duke had been assigned the task of seeing just how many Freedom Fighters were left. The result?

Not many.

"In truth, this was to be my last raid. I was planning on leaving all of you to go to the safety of Ba Sing Sei." Fei confessed as she treated Longshot's injury. "The other Treetop Pacifists left for there long ago, but I foolishly held onto the dream of making peace with the soldiers who wanted us dead. Hopefully, now that the Freedom Fighters are no more, all of you who are left will accompany me to the great city." I bristled defensively.

"What do you mean we're no more?! What do you call me 'n Longshot 'n Sneers and the rest? There's a good seven of us left! That is, if we include you." The hazel-eyed pacifist blushes slightly, looking embarrassed. She mumbles an apology, then hurries off, presumably to change the bandages on Sneers' leg. I glare after her, and feel a soft touch on my back.

Longshot.

I smile at my friend, albeit if it _is_ a sad one. "So, Ba Sing Sei, huh? What do you think?"

He looks thoughtful for a moment, playing with the white bandage Fei had replaced my tunic strip with. "As long as you are there, I say we go. Lets start over."

I hug him happily, smiling for no true reason. "Great idea! Lets go be the best we can be!" I kiss him on the cheek and he smiles, and I know that life will go on.


End file.
